We missed Thanksgiving but we're seeing Turkey!

Since our retreat from the islands into the cities, we have seen much and have lots to report on. Well, maybe not "lots," but enough to fill up an entry.

I was in Athens two years ago and remember being amazed by the Acropolis and all the ruins that the city has to offer. I didn't stay in the city long, but I do remember being impressed. This time around, however, I was less taken by the ruins and enjoyed the actual city a lot more. Yes, it is true, I am a "travel snob" and like my ruins to be of the best quality; this means that I can not only decipher faces and curly cues in the columns, but walk through them and even do cartwheels on monument if I so choose. Don't get me wrong, the Acropolis is cool, but it looses something the second time around. The girls liked it...but this blog isn't about them, is it? Beyond the Acropolis we had a good time roaming the streets of Athens, catching up on BU rowing news (you know, the class of 2007 being "bad seeds" and all) and having Maura whip up some amazing 4 euro pasta dinners.

From Athens we endured a long 18 hour bus ride to Istanbul, Turkey. Istanbul lives up to the hype; it is very "east meets west," quite literally. One side of the city is considered Europe and you can actually cross the Bosphorus Bridge and "walk to Asia." Pretty cool, huh? The city is very modern, yet it has a very bohemian feel with it's cobblestone roads, bazaars, kebaps, carpet shops, and relentless bargainers. We stayed at an amazing hostel where our host, Omer, insisted on feeding us free BBQ and tea, all the while entertaining us with his anecdotes (in Turkish) to our very English conversation. It really is too bad he didn't speak English. He seemed to have some good points.

Anyhow, when we weren't being stuffed to our gills with Kebaps, we explored the various sites the city has to offer. The Blue Mosque looks like it came straight out of a fairy tale. It is the type of place that you can just sit outside and stare at for hours. Hagia Sophia was my favorite "site." As a former Christian church converted to a Mosque, it was interesting to see a mihrab (a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the direction of mecca) with a mosaic of the Virgin Mary over top. Beyond sightseeing, we chilled out a lot in the hostel and did some running along the Marama Sea, both of which had a great view of the city.

Yesterday we arrived here in Selcuk, Turkey. This is the gateway to Ephesus, one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. These ruins were as cool as ruins come and we had some fun doing our Olympic gymnastics routines in the large (and very intact) theatre. Jess won overall, but Maura won on creativity. I was never much of a gymnast. Rory has potential. ANYWAY, tomorrow we plan on heading to Pamukkale. After that we have a couple more stops in Turkey until moving back through Istanbul towards Serbia.

That's about it for now. Thanks for reading and pictures will be up as soon as possible!